Gas-motor starter.



G. F. JENKINS.

GAS MOTOR STARTER. APPLIOATION FILED PBB.27,1911.

Patented Sept; 19,1911.

IVITNESSES:

'INVENTOR. I

M WGMA CHARLES FRANCIS JENKINS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

GAS-MOTOR STARTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 27, 1911.

Serial No. 611,081.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, (humans FRANCIS JENKINS, citizen of the United States, residing at lVa'ishington, District of Colun'ibia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in GasMotor Starters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of dcvices known as gas engine starters in which a distriliiuting device istemployml for delivering aeon'lpressed fluid in succession to the several cylinders of a multiplerylinder motor, and has "for its main object a diminution. of the friction and an increase in the effectiveness ot the fluid pressure. in these devices two things are essential: (1) closefitting, surfaces between the role and stator to prevent undue leakage, and (2) a distributor which will produce the least possible amount of friction therebttwcen.

It has been found as explainetfl .in my application, Serial No. 591,797, that conical surft'aces, between the rotor and stator, pro

duce the necessary close fit. when the coup pressed fluid 1s applied to the upper sur'tace of the rotor, but that the angle ol. the. rotor contact. with the stator must be such that there no such wcdging, ell'ect as will produce adhesion of the contartine' surl aces. .ll owever, the more or less large surface in contact, subjectto the pressure of the compressed lluid, produces undesirable friction between the :uljarcnt; contacting surfaces. This works more harm at high than at lower pressures, that is, 'lor starting th* motor the applied tluid pressure is less cll' ve at high than atlow n'essure, which seems paradoxical, but is explained, as follows:

Probably ninety-live per cent. of all auto mobiles are, at this time, titled with tourcylinder, l'our -eycle motors. Sue motors have their cranks set at; one hundred and eighty degrees and for that; reason develop (haul-centers every half revolution. The fly-wheel is, therefore, depended upon to carry the cranks over these (leml-cenlers. Again, the tly-wheel in coming to rest a'l'ter the. igniting current is cut 011', oscillates two or lhreetimes (alter the last revolution) and linally stops about half way between the opening ol' the exhaust and the next deadcent This leaves a peii'inissiblo space of about tbreosixteonths ot a revolution only, or three llnrty-seeomls of a cycle, in which "the compreswd lluid may..l')e applied through the distrl auer (after due allowance has been made for lap of the ports) to start the motor. In this threc-sixteenths revolution the eompresstal llnid must be applied so effectively as to carry the crank past the next; r leznteente against the eompressirm ot the next tiringeylimler. Afterthe pressure is cut oll' the force that carries the crank lJtlr-tthe dead-center is the momentum developed in the fly-wheel by this sudden impulse on the piston. The impulse is applied .in but threesixtecnthsoi. the revolution while the triction applies not only during this three-sin tcenths but for the whole time, while only the momentum of the fly-wheel acts during the time the fluid is cut oil.

it has been found that: the momentum de veloped in the fly-wheel under the impulse of th e compressed fluid does not increase in thcsame proportion as the friction for tho renu'lining part of the revolution and that lhcrel'ore a hundred and twenty-live pounds of pressure rarely produces as good a result as a hundred ;ounds. If, however, an increased impulse could be il'lYtll the tlywbeel with a correspondingly increased moinenl um, without the development of additional trietion, the wheel should travel through the. rernaiinler ot' the revolution at a very much higher speed. producing a corrcspoiulingly increased reliability. This conclusion has been Found correct. and its application aceomplished by the invention of the distributer leseribetl in this specification and the aceornpanyiiuz' drawings, which has been found in pract ice to increase the rclialiility and certainty ot the device more than a hundred per cent.

The device consists of a stationary body ha .in; a plurality of ports therein and a tapered seat for the rotor, said rotor resting" on a ball-bearing. which latter takes the load ot' the applied compressed fluid, as shown in the drawings, in wlilch--- Figure l is a top view of the distributor; and Fig. 2 a sectional view on the line :r3 ol Fig. l. I

ln both figures like syn'ibols refer to like parts; in \\'birh--- is a body or stationary part oil the device: It a rotor or revoluble member; C) a ball-thrust bearing between lhehgotor and stator; l) is an openingin the rotor which registers in succession with the ports .ll', :ll, IQ and ll ol' the stator, to distribute a compressed lluid to each ol' the cylinders of a l'our-cylimlcr motor; l ll, 1* and F are fatented Sept. 19. .1911.

terminal pipe connections leading one each to each of the cylinders of the motor; G is a lower cap supporting the ball-thrust hear ing; H is an upper cap through which the compressed fluid is let into the hollow rotor. The rotor has a depending stem which is attached to any suitable part of the motor to receive synchronous rotation therefrom. This stem, being a depending stem; permits of attachment to the motor without the use of a packed stem. The lower cap G is adjustable longitudinally of the distributer to raise or lower the ball-thrust bearing until it carries the thrust of the applied compressed fluid and relieves the rotor of any undue friction with the walls of the stator although permitting such a close fit as to' prevent leakage.

It is quite evident that a hundred and fifty pounds pressure applied to the interior ot' the rotor B'would create a friction between the contacting surfaces of the rotor and stator such that it would be impossible to turn the rotor at all unless this pressure were supported by a suitable bearing, 6. 9., the ball-thrust bearing shown. And yet it is possible to so adjust this thrust bearing that the contacting surfaces between the rotor and stator are gas tight. This adjustment having been made, the operation of the de; vice is entirely obvious to those skilled in this art and it is believed no detailed explanation is required.

The use of the phrase ball hearing or hall-thrust bearing in this specification and the claims is intended to mean any rollingsurface bearing and is not intended to be confined strictly to spheres.

KY hat I claim, therefore, is

1.. In distributing valve apparatus, for fluids under pressure, the combination with a valve casing having interiorly converging lateral walls and a series of lateral discharge openings, of --a hollow valve revolubly fitting in said casing, open at its larger end and provided with a lateral port in position to register with said openings in succession as the valve rotates, a cap closing the larger end of said casing and provided with an inlet for supplying fluid under pressure to the interior of the valve, an unyielding antifriction hearing at the smaller end of the valve, to resist the inward thrust of the fluid upon the valve, and means for rotating the valve.

2. The combination with an interiorly conical'valve casing having aseries of lateral discharge openings in the same plane, of a cup-like valve normally covering with its lateral wall all said openings and provided with a lateral port in said plane a ball bearing, device unyieldingly limiting" the movementof the valve toward the smaller end of the casing, a closure for the larger end of the casing forming an abutment for fluid within the valve when the fluid urges the valve toward the smaller end of the casing, means for supplying fluid under pressure within the valve, and means for rotating the valve.

3. The combination with the one-piece, internally conical valve casing having a series of equidistant lateral passages, in the same plane, all opening outward on the same side of the casing, of a cup-like valve rcvolubly fitting within said casing and provided with a lateral port in said plane, an unyielding adjustable ball bearing device forming a stop for the smaller end of the valve, a removable closure for the larger end of the casing provided ,witha passage for the admission of fluid under pressure, and means for rotating the valve.

In testimony whereof I have atlixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. CIIARLES FRANCIS JENKINS. I lVitnesses:

G. Love, Janus L. CRAWFORD. 

